Kitchen Renovation: Should you DIY or Not?

Doing any type of renovation project requires skills, time, a good budget and most importantly patience. Based on your creativity and knowledge level, you can either do a kitchen reno project on your own or hire a local contractor to do the job. Both approaches to renovation have their pros and cons.

Here, we have laid out both perspectives on the pros and cons of performing a residential kitchen renovation project. This comparison will help you make the right decision whether you’re just upgrading your cabinets to completely uplifting the kitchen.

	DIY	Hire A Professional
Skill	Unless you’re a multitasker who understands MEP work in addition to carpentry and painting, and have a lot of spare time researching kitchen reno construction techniques, you may be able to do a perfectly skilled job at giving your kitchen a new look.	Professional MEPs and kitchen reno contractors have a plethora of experience that has helped them to develop their artisan skills. If there is any accidental mistake, they are more equipped to fix it with their hard-earned skills.
Stress	Planning, budgeting and executing kitchen reno projects is a tedious and stressful job. In the DIY method you will have to purchase tonnes of materials, and appropriate tools, take a couple of months off work to complete the project, do the debris cleanup after demolition and project completion and convince your family and friends to help you out. Also, if any accidental miscalculations happen, they can add to your stress.	The only stress in hiring a professional is hiring the right one! With the help of HomeStars tools such as Star Score, Verification Badge and homeowner reviews, you can easily hire a professional and let them take over the stress of your kitchen renovation project.
Time	If you don’t have experience working with chain saws, hammers or electrical wires, then the whole renovation process becomes a learning and working environment which nutshell is time-consuming. You have to spend dedicated time planning, purchasing material and tools, coordinating with friends and family who will be helping, considering the time for permits and inspections and much more. For a newbie DIY homeowner, this month-long project can turn into a year-long project.	Kitchen renovation contractors have teams of professional workers including carpenters, painters, MEP specialists, designers and architects. They can plan and execute the project within your set deadline. Hiring a pro will ensure your project doesn’t exceed its month-long timeframe.
Materials & Tools	If you plan to do a kitchen renovation project yourself, you will have to purchase or rent various hand and power tools along with reno material like tiles, wood for cabinets, plumbing supplies, countertop, electrical fixtures and much more. Buying expensive tools and materials for one-time use is not entirely budget-friendly.	Professional kitchen renovation contractors own an arsenal of tools and have good sources to purchase budget-friendly materials. They don’t charge extra for using their own power or hand tools. You will just have to pay the material cost which you can negotiate with them if possible.
Planning & Preparation	Planning and execution of any kitchen reno project have equal importance. You can plan and plan but if you don’t execute it properly, it can extend your timeline and increase the budget. In the DIY method for the kitchen reno project, you have to spend more time on research compared to execution. Researching new trends and ideas, tools, materials, permits, preparing the material for installation, coordinating with friends and family to help you out, cleaning the construction area, preparing the surface and so much more!	You can hire a local kitchen renovation designer and contractor of your choice from HomeStars who will understand all your requirements, visit your house to inspect the kitchen and provide you with multiple paint options and custom quotes. They will do all the planning and preparation as per your requirements keeping you in the loop. You just have to lift your fingers to hire a pro and they will do the rest!
Labour	For a kitchen renovation project, you will need multiple hands to help you to finish it on time. You can either hire labour or request your friends and family to help you. In this case, you may have to adjust the project to their novice skill set and time schedule, and you’ll have to arrange for their lunch and refreshments. It can be very difficult to boss them around, asking them to do their ‘job’ which they are doing as a ‘favour.’ It is free labour but you will have to tread carefully!	Based on the size of your project and your timeline, your kitchen reno contractor will bring a team of specialized labours to complete different aspects of the project. They will coordinate with them and decide the schedule for the project progresses. You will have to pay extra labour costs so make sure you discuss their wages with the contractor before you agree to hire them.
Cost	With a DIY kitchen renovation project, you will be saving costs on labour and contractor fees but you will be spending more on planning, design, tools, equipment and time.	When you hire a pro for a kitchen renovation project, it may seem expensive at first, but considering the time, stress and energy you’ll be saving on preparation as well as planning, research and labour, it will be worth it!
Job Satisfaction	Doing something all by yourself can make you feel proud and happy and provide a sense of achievement. Even if you face a few difficulties and bumps along the road, you will have the satisfaction that you did the whole project on your own! However, remember that you may not feel so proud of your project if it didn’t turn out to be how you had hoped.	A professional kitchen renovation contractor will complete your project with the minimum possibility of any accidents or mishaps. Their quality of work will satisfy you to write them a positive review! The company will work hard to ensure you are happy with the end result.
Fun	Doing a whole kitchen renovation project and installing new fixtures to your dream kitchen with the help of your friends and family can be very fun and an exciting memory to reminisce. You can cherish the memories every time you have them over in the dining room or prepping a feast for them! It can bring you closer and provide an opportunity for family bonding… as long as things go as per the plan.	The fun part about hiring a pro to renovate your kitchen for you is you get to sit in a comfortable chair and relax as your contractor does all the heavy work! Soon after, you’ll have a newly renovated dream kitchen to cook and indulge in.

Ultimately, ask yourself what exactly DIY means to you? Do It Yourself means starting the painting A DIY project should translate to Do It Yourself but you have to remember the ultimate mantra Don’t Injure Yourself! From the first planning step of making the decision to renovate the kitchen to the final execution step of putting everything together in the new structure, can seem like forever. You also have to consider the safety and security of your friends and family while working with sharp tools and installing heavy cabinetry or countertops. Doing a kitchen renovation project by yourself can cause accidental injuries if you’re not used to handling the tools and materials in the right way. With faulty installations, it can cause harm to your family later in the future with loose wiring, dodgy countertops and leaky pipes. You should give preference to your safety at all times.

Now that you know all the pros and cons of doing a kitchen renovation project DIY style or hiring a contractor, you can make a confident decision. If most likely you have decided to hire a local pro, you don’t have to worry about researching the right contractor. On HomeStars, you can fill out a quote request form as per your requirements and up to 5 local painting contractors will get in touch with you shortly with a customized quote. You can verify the contractors by reading homeowner reviews, looking for a Verification badge and checking their Star Score rating to make sure you’re hiring the right kitchen renovator.